The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary & meditation
"He is
not here; for he has risen, as he said."

Gospel reading:Matthew 28:1-8

1 Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week,
Mary Mag'dalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre. 2 And behold,
there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven
and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. 3 His appearance was
like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the
guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women,
"Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6
He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where
he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from
the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will
see him. Lo, I have told you." 8 So they departed quickly from the
tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Meditation: On Sunday morning the women went to the tomb
to pay their last tribute to a dead body. The disciples thought that everything
had finished in tragedy. Neither were ready to see an empty tomb
and hear the angel's message, He is not here; for he has risen,
as he said (Matt. 28:6). The angel urged them
to believe that Jesus had indeed risen just as he had promised. And the
angel urged them to share the good news with the other disciples. Is it
any small wonder that it was the women, rather than the apostles, who first
witnessed the empty tomb and the resurrected Lord? Isidore of Seville,
a 7th century church father comments on this: "As a woman (Eve) was first
to taste death, so a woman (Mary Magdalene) was first to taste life.
As a woman was prescient in the fall, so a woman was prescient in beholding
the dawning of redemption, thus reversing the curse upon Eve." The
first to testify to the risen Lord was a woman from whom Jesus had cast
out seven demons.

What is the significance of the stone being rolled away? It would have
taken several people to move such a stone. And besides, the sealed tomb
had been guarded by soldiers! This is clearly the first sign of the resurrection.
Bede, a church father from the 8th century, comments: "[The angel] rolled
back the stone not to throw open a way for our Lord to come forth, but
to provide evidence to people that he had already come forth. As the virgin's
womb was closed, so the sepulcher was closed, yet he entered the world
through her closed womb, and so he left the world through the closed sepulcher."
(From Homilies on the Gospels 2,7,24) Another church
father remarked: "To behold the resurrection, the stone must first be rolled
away from our hearts" (Peter Chrysologus, 5th century). Do you know
the joy of the resurrection?

It is significant that the disciples had to first deal with the empty
tomb before they could come to grips with the fact that scripture had foretold
that Jesus would die for our sins and then rise triumphant. They
disbelieved until they saw the empty tomb. Bede explains why the
Risen Lord revealed himself gradually to the disciples: "Our Lord and redeemer
revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples gradually and over
a period of time, undoubtedly because so great was the virtue of the miracle
that the weak hearts of mortals could not grasp [the significance of] this
all at once. Thus, he had regard for the frailty of those seeking him.
To those who came first to the tomb, both the women who were aflame with
love for him and the men, he showed the stone rolled back. Since his body
had been carried away, he showed them the linen cloths in which it had
been wrapped lying there alone. Then, to the women who were searching eagerly,
who were confused in their minds about what they had found out about him,
he showed a vision of angels who disclosed evidences of the fact that he
had risen again. Thus, with the report of his resurrection already accomplished,
going ahead of him, the Lord of hosts and the king of glory himself at
length appeared and made clear with what great might he had overcome the
death he had temporarily tasted." (From Homilies on the Gospels
2,9,25)

One thing is certain, if Jesus had not risen from the dead and
appeared to his disciples, we would never have heard of him. Nothing
else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant
with joy and courage. The reality of the resurrection is the central fact
of the Christian faith. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives
us "eyes of faith" to know him and the power of his resurrection. The greatest
joy we can have is to encounter the living Lord and to know him personally.
Do you celebrate the feast of Easter with joy and thanksgiving for the
victory which Jesus has won for you over sin and death?

"Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the grave and you have won
new life for us. Give me the eyes of faith to see you in your glory. Help
me to draw near to you and to grow in the knowledge of your great love
and power."